Continuing west

It occurred to me that in two days we have visited three pastors and their families, a holy segment of the trip.   Our next stop was at Bob and Sarah and family in Illinois, where they moved to, last year.  We got a tour of their home and a delicious wholesome lunch, as per Sarah's customary fine cuisine.  It was nice to see them settled and happy in their new location.

Bob and Sarah and children outside their new abode.

The next stop was Bob and Coleen and co. in Minneapolis.  Our relationship goes back a long way; it was almost 20 years ago we first met them in Wellington.  I especially appreciated Coleen's regular phone calls the first few months after our move to CT 14 years ago.  Thanks, Hannah and Tom for vacating your beds so that we could all get a good night's sleep.

Bob and Coleen smiling even after they had survived us gate crashing for the night.

After a hearty breakfast, we departed for South Dakota, first stop Sioux Falls which wasn't so impressive, so we decided to push on west. 

Sioux Falls which is the biggest city in South Dakota.

 This is a completely different part of America.  At the quaint motel we stayed in, one guest was happily cleaning his rifle in the car park.  Pick-ups are ubiquitous here.   The speed limit on the never ending highway heading directly across the state from east to west is 75mph but you could easily go a lot faster.  Montana and Wyoming get the nickname of big sky country but SD could equally earn the title.  There is a particular beauty about the terrain.  Thousands of acres of grasslands stretch as far as the eye can see.  At different points you can see dirt mounds with prairie dogs atop.  The odd tree seemingly struggles to survive.

A bison that Ron spotted taken with the zoom as it was fairly far from the road, hence the slightly fuzzy picture.

Shortly after paying the park admission fee at the entrance booth to Badlands National Park, we were greeted with the most magnificent scenery we have ever experienced.  Photos or video clips don't do it justice.  The road snakes through thousands of acres of rock formations both close to the road and way into the distance.  We travelled perhaps 30 miles through this scenery.  The vastness is indescribable.  What a great way to spend $15!

We spotted these goats looking as if they were wondering how to make their way off the mountain.

Later in the afternoon we drove to Mt Rushmore which for those who aren't familiar with it, is a giant rock sculpture of 4 presidents - Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Jefferson.  While it is an impressive feature, especially if you remember that it was sculpted in the 1930s, it took second place to the Badlands.   

The scenery through the Black Hills of Dakota where Mt Rushmore is situated, is beautiful; majestic rock and no shortage of stately conifers.   Log cabins here and there enhance the beauty.

Finally, we visited Wind Cave State Park and did a cave tour gradually going down about 120 ft.  Thankfully an elevator eventually took us back to the top.  When we emerged from the ground about 90 minutes after heading down into the earth, we were confronted by torrential rain, thunder, lightning and hail.  This park has about 140 miles of caves that are accessible to the public, and each year another 2 or 3 miles are discovered.  What is unique about these caves is the very delicate boxwork and popcorn like formations.  Eliot or Ron will give you the rundown on how it forms if you are interested.

Troy looks as if he has as much hair as a woolly mammoth but Eliot is directly behind him, hence the additional mop.

I have such silly sons.

Till the next post

Judy